


A New Perspective

by starryknightskies



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: M/M, Some pining, Sort of? - Freeform, They'll get together eventually, This is a story were suggestions are welcome!, Unrequited Love, body possesion, but not really?, in regards to deceit's feelings for virgil, its a slow burn, self-deprecating thoughts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-06-28 12:53:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19812703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryknightskies/pseuds/starryknightskies
Summary: Patton is tired of Roman's resistance to trying to understand Anxiety, so he comes up with a little idea. Sometimes all he needs is a little... change in perspective.Or, Patton has the ability to let other's see through someone else's eyes on occasion and he decides to use it to help Roman with their youngest traitStarts off before Accepting Anxiety





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just an idea that's been bouncing around in my head for awhile now, so I hope you all enjoy! This is going to be a longer series, so if you have an idea or something you want to see happen in future chapters, just let me know and I'll see what I can do! Feedback is appreciated!
> 
> edit: added a scene between Patton and Virgil, in case anyone's already read the chapter before. Nothing big, just a little bit of backstory!

Roman pressed a hand to his mouth as he muffled a yawn, shuffling slowly down the hall towards the kitchen. It was way, way too early for him to be up at four in the morning, but he woke up, desperately thirsty, so he followed the calling of a nice, cold glass of water. After that, he could return to his room and his dreams of defeating his foes in the most heroic of ways. He was just stepping past the laundry room when the sound of the washer shutting caused him to pause. A frown tugged at his lips and he backed up to peek into the room, seeing Patton sorting through a pile of dark clothes. That was strange... Just what was he doing?

"Um... Patton? Isn't it a little early to be getting started on laundry?" He stepped into the room with a little knock to announce his presence, not wanting to scare the other. Even so, he saw him jump at the sudden noise.

"Oh! Roman! You're up early!" Patton flashed him a quick grin before turning his attention to the clothes in front of him, sorting them into neat little piles. "It is a little early, I suppose." He took a moment to get the washer going and pressed start on the dryer before turning to face Roman fully. "I'm helping Anxiety with his laundry and I kind of wanted to get it all done so he has something clean to wear when he wakes up later."

Roman frowned, his brow furrowing in puzzlement. "Why are you doing his laundry? I'm pretty sure he is more than capable of doing it himself."

"Well, he asked me to! Or, more accurately, I asked him if I could help and he said yes." Patton said with a little shrug and a cheerful grin. "He's got a lot going on right now, with Thomas taking on more responsibility than he should like he always does, and I'm more than happy to help him out when he needs it!"

Roman just shook his head, a spark of annoyance showing on his face. "Sounds to me like he's just using that as an excuse to make you do something he doesn't want to do." That sounded just like something Anxiety would do. He was always complaining about having to do anything, and Patton was just too kind-hearted to say no. He's going to have to have a word with him about this, because being the dashing prince that he was, he couldn't just stand by and watch someone take advantage of his dear friend.

Patton frowned at that, shaking his head. "That's not it at all!" He let out a sigh, pushing his glasses up further on his nose. He couldn't shake the image of Anxiety from a few weeks ago, looking so... unlike himself. His heart ached as he remembered and his thoughts drifted back... 

_Patton rubbed his eyes tiredly as he made his way down the dark hallway, blindly making his way to the kitchen. He had been sleeping peacefully until he had woken suddenly with an uncontrollable urge for something sweet, so he decided to grab a few cookies from the kitchen before heading back to bed. It was supposed to be just a quick errand, in and out and back under his cozy blanket, but something made him pause. The light was on in the laundry room, and he tilted his head curiously. Had he forgotten to turn it off earlier? Or was someone in there? He couldn't hear any noises, so he crept closer to investigate._

_"Anxiety?" Out of anything he was expecting to see, the darker side wasn't one of them, and definitely not expecting him to be wearing a short sleeve shirt and pajama pants. He made his way into the room, a small frown tugging at his lips. There hadn't been any response from the other and he couldn't help but think something was wrong. "Anxiety?" He tried again. "Are you okay?"_

_There still wasn't a response, and Patton came up beside him. Anxiety was gripping the handle of the washing detergent tightly with one hand, the other holding the little measuring cup that was half full. His eyes were staring blankly ahead, not reacting when Patton waved a hand in front of his face. He frowned at that, reaching out to try and take the detergent from him, shocked at how cold his hands were. How long had he been standing here like this?_

_"Anxiety? I need you to let go please." He kept his voice soft, gently rubbing his thumb along Anxiety's knuckles to loosen his grip and carefully taking the items from him when he complied. Something was clearly bothering him, but he wasn't sure that he would be open to talking to him about it. Thomas did have a lot of events going on at the moment, a lot of big projects being planned. All that put together must really be taking a toll on him and it was easy to tell now that he was actually taking a moment to look at him. "Come on, let's go get you some tea, okay?" He tugged gently on Anxiety's arm, moving him away from the washing machine and wrapping an arm around his back. He led him to the kitchen, flipping the light on as he went._

_He directed him to take a seat at the table, moving over to the stop to start the kettle. He turned to study the other as the water heated up, arms crossed. Anxiety looked... small. Unsure. Shoulders hunched and gaze down on his hands as his fingers twisted together. His brows were furrowed, a frown on his face, his eyes still a little unfocused. He didn't look like himself, and Patton really didn't like it. But he didn't know what he could do to help._

_"Do... do you want to talk about what's bothering you?" He asked cautiously, turning back to the stove to pull the kettle off. He quickly put together a cup of chamomile tea, having read somewhere that it was good for stress. He brought the mug over, making sure Anxiety had a firm hold on it before letting go and stepping back._

_"There was a long moment of silence between them before Anxiety slowly shook his head. "No.. I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me." He wouldn't look at Patton though, and he lifted the mug to his lips, taking a sip slowly._

_Patton frowned at that, but knew he couldn't force him to talk. Maybe he could do something else for him, even if it was something small. "How about you finish up your tea and head to bed. You look exhausted. I'll go take care of your laundry for you."_

_Anxiety quickly shook his head, making to stand up but a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him. "No! It's okay. I can do it myself." He was quick to deny the offer for help, hands trembling slightly._

_Patton just gave him a little smile. "It's no problem at all, really. I want to help." He made sure that he put as much sincerity into his voice as he could, wanting Anxiety to believe that he wasn't being a burden to him. "You're stressed out and tired and I know doing your laundry isn't nearly enough to take your stress away, but I really just want to help."_

_Anxiety stared him down for several long moments, debating with himself before letting out a soft sigh. He could clearly see Patton wasn't willing to back down about this, and his shoulders slumped. "Okay... If you insist.. Just.. don't tell anyone about this, okay?"_

_Patton beamed cheerfully, reaching out a hand to boop him on the nose lightly. "I won't! Now you finish up your tea and get yourself back in bed. I'll have your clothes folded and ready for you to take back to your room in the morning." He waited for the other to nod before he skipped out of the room, all thoughts of cookies long gone._

"Why don't you try looking at things from his perspective for once?" He asked, coming back to himself. "It's not that hard and you might understand why he does and says the things that he does."

"I'd honestly rather fight three dragon witches at once than have anything to do with that mopey ball of angst, thank you very much." Roman reached a hand up to rub at his temple, feeling a headache forming. "I'll talk to him later about taking advantage of you though. So don't you worry about that, my dear friend." He flashed Patton a smile before turning to continue his quest for a drink of water.

Patton sighed, watching him go with a small frown. How hard was it for them to get along? Anxiety wasn't so bad once you spent the time getting to know him a little better! He just wished Roman could see it. An idea came to him so suddenly that his legs buckled. Of course! Why hadn't he thought of it before! There was a way to get Roman to understand! It was going to take some time, but he knew, deep with within his heart, that this was going to work. Turning back to the laundry with a bright grin and a happy hum, Patton began his plotting.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is appreciated!  
> To separate Roman's consciousness while it's in Virgil's head, his actual body will be referred to in bolded letters, to try and make things less confusing  
> The first chapter has been edited for anyone who didn't see the interaction between Virgil and Patton

Roman shuffled the stack of papers in his hands, carefully arranging them with a spring in his step and a smile on his face. He had come up with a whole slew of new video ideas and he couldn't wait to run them by Logan to get his approval before he delved too deeply into any of them. He's learned the hard way not to get too caught up in things because most of them would be shot down, but he wasn't going to let it get him down! He didn't think about the fact that it was one in the morning and Logan was probably sleeping and wouldn't appreciate being woken up for something like this. It was unimportant in the face of new ideas!

His attention was on the papers in his hand and not the hallway in front of him, so he didn't see the other person coming down the hallway. He only noticed when someone walked into him, slamming into his shoulder and knocking the papers from his hands. The momentum spun him around and there was a very brief flash of light, nearly blinding him. It cleared from his vision as quickly as it came and he found himself looking at himself? He's never seen that sort of anger on his face as he glared down (down?) at him, jaw clenched and eyes narrowed. He had the urge to take a step back but found he couldn't move his body.

"Walk much Dr. Doom and Gloom?" **Roman** snapped, hands clenching as he knelt down to start gathering up his fallen papers. Dr Doom and Gloom? Was he talking to him?

"You're the one who ran into me, so get off your high horse Princey." A voice snapped back and Roman was shocked to find that it came from him. Except it didn't sound like him. It sounded like... No, that's impossible. Right? Before he could dwell on it further, another voice drifted in his mind, lower, kind of echoey. **_'You ran into him dumbass. Learn to walk without looking at your phone and drinking at the same time.'_**

"I'm actually glad to have run into you." **Roman** paused his picking up the papers to glare at him. "Just who do you think you are? Having Patton do your laundry for you? Are you so lazy that you can't do your own work?"

A sharp intake of breath and a clench jaw came from that, along with his heart pounding heavily in his chest. "Patton told you that?" _**'Surprise, surprise. Patton lied to you. It's your own fault really for believing him.'**_ Roman didn't like the sound of that second voice, the sound of it make an uncomfortable tingle to run down his spine. But... Patton lied? about what?

"He did! You're taking advantage of his kindness and I will not allow it!" **Roman** straightened up, still kneeling on the ground but he had a determined look in his eyes. "What kind of prince would I be if I let someone like you be a massive inconvenience to everyone around him?"

"Inconvenience?" Roman's voice, was it his voice?, had gone soft, his chest tightening considerably. It only lasted a moment before he huffed out a laugh, the corner of his mouth quirking up. "If that's what you wanted, you should have just said so." His fingers curled tighter on the handle of his coffee mug before he held his hand out, tilting it over and spilling the rest of his coffee on the dropped pages still on the ground.

There was a long moment of silence, **Roman** staring in disbelief and Roman feeling an immediate sense of regret, his chest tightening considerably. Why had he done that? All his hard work, ruined! He watched as his body lurched upwards, hands clenched tightly in rage. "Anxiety!!"

_**Danger Danger Danger Danger Danger** _

His mind was screaming at him, body tensing up for just a moment before he spun on his heel and took off down the hall. Roman could feel his heart pounding in his chest, his head feeling fuzzy as he tried to process what was going on. Anxiety.. That's what his body had called him. Was he in Anxiety's body somehow? That shouldn't be possible and yet.. here he is. He had no control of anything, only able to go along for the ride, and that ride was slamming open a bedroom door and slamming it behind him.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid.." Anxiety mumbled, pressing his back against the door and sliding down to sit on the ground. "Why did I do that?!" _**'Because you're stupid and act without thinking.'**_ The voice was back and Roman really didn't want to be here, listening to this. **_'He didn't even follow you! You're so pathetic that he couldn't be bothered. No wonder he hates you."_**

Anxiety groaned, pulling his hood over his head, pressing his hands to his ears. "Shut up!" But the voice just continued, on and on, no end in sight, both Roman and Anxiety having no choice but to listen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come hang out at my sanders sides blog @ starry-knight-skies.tumblr.com


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad you're all enjoying the story so far! And I'm glad no one seemed confused about my attempts to differentiate Roman's body from his mind lol I really hope you like this new chapter and as always, reviews are appreciated!

Roman was, to put it simply, in hell. That was the only thing he could think of to call it, body frozen, curled up on the floor, hands pressed against his ears in a futile attempt to quiet the voices echoing in his.. Anxiety’s… head. The more attempts to block the sound out, the louder it became. His chest felt tight, breathing coming out in quiet gasps, and vision beginning to darken around the edges.

**_‘Worthless… useless… can’t do anything right… it would be better for everyone if you just disappeared…’_ **

Roman was sure he was going to go crazy if he had to stay trapped in this nightmare like this for much longer. He tried with all his might to will himself back to his own body, back in the familiar comfort of his own mind. He’d take his ruined, coffee covered papers over this any day. At least with that, he could just start over with a clear head but this… this is unbearable.

A soft knock on the door behind him cut off the voices immediately, the sudden silence almost left him reeling. His breath caught in his throat and his body tensed up even further. His eyes flickered over to the digital clock blinking out 2:34. Who could be knocking on his door at this hour? Most people should be asleep at this time.

“Anxiety? Kiddo? Are you awake?” Patton’s soft voice drifted through the stillness in the air and instead of being a reassuring noise, it seemed to make Anxiety’s body tense up even further and Roman had to wonder how that was even possible.

The voices in his head was telling him to sit quietly, to not say anything and hope he goes away. He drew in a shaky breath regardless, letting it out slowly. “What do you want?” He had to force the words out from his tight throat, the sound barely loud enough to be heard through the door. 

“It’s laundry day! I’ve come to collect your clothes for you.” The doorknob on the door turned like he was going to try and slip in, but it barely turned before catching on the lock. “Can you open the door please?”

Anxiety’s hand lifted to do as he was asked, but he paused when he touched the handle. Patton sounded cheerful like he always did, but… he had told Roman. Told him that he was doing this for him, had broken his trust in him.

**_‘He lied to you. They’ve probably been laughing about how pathetic you are. You let him in here and he’ll have more fuel against you. Look how messy your room is. What kind of adult can’t keep his own room clean?’_ **

“Why?” His throat felt tight, fingers tightening on the doorknob. A part of him wanted to let him in, to just ignore the voice in his head, but they were too loud, too hard to ignore.

“Why what kiddo?” The confusion in his voice caused a hot flash of anger to twist through Roman’s chest, and while it was a feeling he was familiar with, it was never directed towards the friendly Side.

“Why did you tell Roman about helping me?” Roman’s words from early started playing in his head and he hunched his shoulders up, clenching his jaw. “You promised me that you wouldn’t!” He hadn’t wanted to say anything, wanted to just pretend that everything was fine, but the words were out before he could stop them. The silence his words provoked was rather telling as well and he could feel his chest tighten.

**_‘Here it comes. Now that you’ve brought it up, he’s going to laugh at you. Tell you it was all just a joke and that he thinks you’re sad and pathetic.’_ **

“I’m sorry....” The soft apology drifting through the door cut off those thoughts immediately stuttering to a stop. There was a soft thunk against the door of something gently hitting it, but Roman couldn’t even imagine what it could be. There was a shaky sigh, a second of silence. “He saw me while I was in the laundry room and it just slipped out without me thinking about it. I’m so, so sorry Anxiety.” Another shaky breath and… was he crying? “You put a lot of trust in me and I broke it.”

**_‘Great. Now you’ve gone and made him cry. Can you really do nothing right?’_ **

Roman decided that he really hated this voice, whispering awful things, and try as he might, he couldn’t block it out, couldn’t ignore it. How does Anxiety normally deal with this? If he was in control of himself, he’d be pulling his hair out by now. He couldn’t even imagine dealing with it day after day.

“You don’t have to forgive me.” Patton’s voice drifted through the door again, regret clear in his tone. “But please… please understand that I wasn’t trying to go behind your back or hurt you. That is never my intention.” Another shaky inhale. “Please just give me another chance to prove that you can trust me. I won’t let you down again.”

Anxiety was pulling the door open before he could let himself talk himself out of why this was a bad idea, and he looked out into the hallway, watching Patton stumble forward from where he was leaning against the door. And yep, he definitely had tears in his eyes and it made him and Roman feel bad. “You don’t... “ he sighed, stepping back and running a hand through his hair before pulling his hood up over his head. “You don’t have to keep apologizing. I get it. I’m not… mad at you or anything.” 

Patton wiped at his eyes, taking an uncertain step forward. “Really? You sounded mad earlier.”

Anxiety huffed out a breath, crossing his arms over his chest and hunching up his shoulders slightly. “I was a little mad, yeah. But like I said, I get it. Just… don’t do it again, okay?”

Patton perked up immediately, nodding eagerly. “Of course! Cross my heart and hope to die, I will not betray you like that again!” He even drew a little cross over his chest to emphasis the point and Roman could feel the corner of his mouth twitch up slightly in amusement. 

“You don’t have to make a big deal out of it or anything.” Anxiety stepped further into the room, moving to throw the last bit of laundry he needed washed into his basket. He tensed up when a sudden weight settled on his back, arms wrapping around him and squeezing tightly. “What are you doing?”

“Hugging you? I kind of do that when I’m happy. Is this okay?”

“It’s..” _ warm _ “Disgusting.” Anxiety wiggled out of Patton’s hold, pointedly ignoring the way his face dropped. “I don’t like being touched.”

“Okay, I’ll take care to respect your boundaries in the future.” Patton gave Anxiety a reassuring smile to let him know he wasn’t upset at him rejecting his hug before stepping forward to take the laundry basket from him. “I’ll go get these taken care of for you lickety split and have them nice and clean for you when you wake up.”

Anxiety just nodded, waving Patton off and shutting the door behind him when he left. He rubbed tiredly at his eyes, moving over to his bed and flopping down on it, not bothering to change into pajamas. Roman was glad that the voices had seemed to go quiet with Patton’s presence and he found all the tension that was in his body melted away. Eyes closed, the exhaustion from the day finally catching up to him, and sleep was quick to come. 

Just as he was slipping under, Roman blinked, finding himself back in his room, in his own body, on his bed. He blinked slowly, a frown tugging at his mouth as he sat up. There was a persistent throbbing in his head and he pressed his hands to his eyes, falling back against his pillows. What the hell just happened? Had that been just a crazy dream? Or… did that actually happen? He glanced at his clock, seeing it was well past three in the morning and he groaned, deciding he would figure it out in the morning. His head hurt way too much to get his thoughts in order right now and surely, things would make more sense in the morning, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come chat with me at my sanders sides blog at starry-knight-skies.tumblr.com
> 
> Deceit is coming in the next chapter and I'm kind of up in the air about having sympathetic dark sides in this one since I have them in my other chapter story. So! Would you, as the readers, like sympathetic dark sides or would you rather they be more manipulative, ect? I'd love to hear your ideas!

**Author's Note:**

> Come check me out on tumblr @ mythicalheartbeat if you wanna chat!


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